He’d been so completely focused on Hope that he hadn’t even noticed his son had moved up beside him. “Sorry, buddy. You okay?”
Adam nodded. “Hi, Hope.”
Hope looked at Adam and her smile grew. “Hey, what have you got?”
“Snorkel and skivvies.”
She took the package with the mask and snorkel from him and studied it. “Looks pretty good,” she said, then gave it back. Adam handed her his underwear and she studied them also. “Who is this guy on your behind?”
“That’s Wolverine. He has really big claws and he can claw his enemies.”
“I remember. You drew a picture of him the other night. Is he a good guy?”
“Yep,” he said and took back his underwear.
“Where did you put the hummingbird I gave you?”
“We put him in the kitchen window.” He paused to scratch his elbow. “Maybe you could come over and see it sometime.”
Hope glanced at Dylan, and the thought of her in his house made his heart beat heavy in his chest.
“Maybe,” she said, then reached out and ruffled Adam’s hair. “You got your hair cut.”
“Yep,” he said without backing away. “Got it cut today.”
Beyond a very short list that included the females in his family and Shelly, Adam didn’t like women to touch or make a fuss over him. And except for that short list, this was the longest conversation Dylan had ever heard Adam have with a woman. Usually he resorted to monosyllabic grunts. He wondered how Hope had managed to pass Adam’s test. He knew she would have instantly failed if Adam suspected Dylan had any interest in her at all. And the irony of it was that out of all the women he knew, Hope interested him the most. Hell, the way she filled out her running shorts downright fascinated him, and he had to keep his gaze glued to her face to keep his eyes from wandering to the tight spandex covering her crotch. “We better get going,” he said and placed his hand on Adam’s back.
Hope moved with them to the front of the store and took her place in line in front of him at the checkout counter. As Eden Hansen rang up the purchases of a couple buying T-shirts, Dylan stared at the back of Hope’s head, recalling with perfect clarity the last time he’d stood behind her, watching her somewhat blurred reflection.
“Hey, Hope,” Adam said and tapped her arm to get her attention, “maybe when I come home, me and Wally can build another tent at your house.”
“Son, you can’t invite yourself like that.”
“It’s okay.” She looked over her shoulder at Dylan, then answered Adam. “If you guys come over again, there have to be some rules. Like no wrestling in the house.” She thought for a moment, then added, “And since you boys like to pull things, maybe you two could come over and help me pull some weeds. I’d pay you.”
“Five bucks!”
“Yep.” They moved forward in line and Hope placed two rolls of film on the counter.
“Is this it for you, then?” Eden asked as she reached for the film. Hope didn’t answer right away, and Dylan figured she was stunned into silence by her first good look at Eden Hansen. For as long as he could remember, Eden had dyed her hair purple, worn purple eyeshadow and purple lipstick. She lived in a purple house and drove a purple Dodge Neon. Hell, she even dyed her little yap-yap dogs, too. Her twin sister, Edie, had a preference for blue. It was no wonder both were married to men who had a tendency to hit the bottle before noon.
“Yes, that’s all,” Hope finally replied.
Eden rang up the film and reached for a paper sack. “My brother-in-law is Hayden Dean. He’s the one who helped you out at the Buckhorn and ended up getting into that fight with Emmett.”
Hope unzipped her fanny pack. “I was very grateful he stepped in when he did. That was very nice of him.”
“Nice, schmice.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Hayden is a womanizer and likes to fight, no doubt about that. If my sister had the sense God gave a lemming, she’d run his butt off the nearest cliff, and that’s a fact. Everyone knows he steps out with Dixie Howe whenever she can’t find better. Dixie’s as loose as a slipknot, and if it weren’t for her talent with hair color, I’d never set foot in her salon.”
“Uh… oh, really?” Hope uttered as she handed Eden a twenty.
Dylan chuckled. If Hope was shocked by Eden now, just wait until she was stuck in the same room with her and Edie at the same time. Both women could talk until your ears bled.
“Now, I was thinking,” Eden continued after she took Hope’s money. “If you ever need anyone to die a really painful death in that book you’re writing, Hayden would be a good choice. Besides chasin‘ tail, he’s lazy, drinks like a fish, and is as ugly as the mange. Maybe you could have him get that flesh-eating disease.”
Dylan watched Hope’s ponytail sway back and forth as she shook her head. “I don’t know who told you I’m writing a book, but I’m not.”
“Iona said Melba told her you’re writing a book about Hiram Donnelly.”